Thursday, January 14, 2010

The US has suspended removals (deportation) to Haiti because of the recent earthquake. In a press release, DHS stated

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Secretary John Morton today halted all removals to Haiti for the time being in response to the devastation caused by yesterday’s earthquake. ICE continues to closely monitor the situation.

The New York Times reported on the news yesterday. The article states that there are an estimated 30,000 Haitians awaiting removal, however sending them back to Haiti now would endanger them.

The paper also refers to the push now to give Haitians Temporary protected Status (TPS). This status is given to people from certain countries that have suffered natural disasters, wars, or other extreme situations. TPS allows immigrants from the country to stay in the US and work as long as the TPS applies. Haiti has been requesting this status for years, after a series of natural disasters. These include floods in 2004 that left more than 5,000 people dead or missing, and 4 major storms in 2008 that killed at least 800 people and destroyed most of Haiti’s food crops.